Dispenser for collapsible tubes



Dec. 12, 1939. H, B A E 2,183,060

DISPENSER FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Filed NOV. 7, 1938 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .1 INVENTOR 605a hgffb 51 1M BY 2 g EE-Q ATToRN S Dec. 12, 1939. J BLAKE DISPENSER FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Filed Nov. 7, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 dosegi f i Blake ATTORiK Patented Dec. 12,1939 1 @NrrEo STATES PATENT OFFICE Joseph E. Blake, Seattle, ween Application November 7, 1938, Serial No. 239,361

3 Claims.

My present invention relates a the art of dis pensing equipment for collapsible tubes and more particularly to a quantity indicating dispenser for collapsible tubes.

My present device has certain features, in common with tube dispensers, that are intended to providea. fixed positioning of collapsible tubes and permit of their convenient use. Further. my invention contemplates the graduation of the collapsible tube in such a manner that materials in the tube may be dispensed in known quantities.

It will be apparent. it is believed, that my disl nsing device may be used with tubes such as are normally used for toothpaste, shaving cream and the like, but it is contemplated that it will have a broader or more general application. There are many commodities that'are now sold in collapsible tubes; This use is gradually increasing and it is the purpose of my present invention to provide a means that will make it possible to measure, with reasonable accuracy. such items as shortening and food products of various kinds, that a housewife may choose to measure in definite quantities as a convenience in making a recipe.

Another important object of my present invention is to. provide a dispenser for tube cream which will accommodate a wide variety of tube sizes.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device which will seal the tube after cream has been dispensed therefrom.

Still another object is to provide a device of this character which will easily accomplish the Purpose intended and which will yet be economical to manufacture, sightly in appearance and sanitary. In my present invention it is believed that I have achieved adesirable solution of this problem.

40 Other and more specific objects will be apparent from the following. description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view showing one defi slrable form of my dispensing means.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the pressure roll and winding key assembly.-

Figure 3 is a front elevation of. my dispensing device with a tube in place and showing the same asdispensing'paste upon a tooth brush.

Figure 4 is a side elevation, in section, taken through the longitudinal center line of Figure 3, but showing the closure member in place sealing at the tube.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, front elevational view, partly in section, showing the closure member in its depressed position, but with certain other parts removed 0 more clearly illustrate its 7 construction,

Figure 7 is a perspective view, bracketed, partly in section, and showing the dispensing end of a collapsible tube; in this showing a modified form of structure is employed.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary, front elevation, partly in section, showing the dispensing tube in position.

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along 1% the line 99 of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a perspective view showing my tube dispensing equipment with a modified form of closure member.

Figure 11 is a perspective view showing a 001- lapsible tube having a tip particularly suited for this type of dispenser,

Figure 12 is a perspective view showing the lower side of my closure device. 5

Figure 13 is a perspective view showing the 2d form of opening employed in the lower bracket of my tube'support.

Figure 14 illustrates, in perspective view, the upper side of the closure member illustrated in Figure 12.

Figure .15 is a side elevation, in section, taken through the tube dispensing end and closure member.

Figure 16 is a front elevation, in fragmentary form and partly in section, showing my closure member as applied to a threaded tube.

Figure 1'7 is a perspective view, bracketed, showing a further modification of the tube closure member and method of securing the 001- lapsible tube tip in place. g

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference characters indicate like parts, ill designates the base or backing member of my dispenser. This should be ofa size to conform to the size of tube with which the device is to be used and is normally provided with means for securing the same in place as, for instance, the bayonet type screw holes H and i2.

Formed as part of body l0 are the flange guideways It and I5. These guideways are formed as angles so that the guideways proper are outstanding vfrom the base portion III which lies fiat against the supporting wall. This provides freedom of movement for frame l6 which carries the tube compressing means. At the bottom of base III is a shelf member I8 which is formed, preferably, integrally with base I0 and, due to the bracing effect of the guideways I4 and I5 provides unusual rigidity even though made of fairly light gauge metal or molded material. It will be understood, it is believed, that any suitable material may be used to form the base and certain other parts of my device. Stamped metal appears to be the most durable of known materials although molded plastics will serve very effectively and can be produced in a finished form probably cheaper than any form of metal that needs later to be finished.

The tube collapsing member I8 is formed as a U-shape member having a straight front portion and curved-in parallel ends 22 and 23. These ends are provided with guide members to engage the front and rear sldesand the edge of guideways I4 and I5. These guides consist of a front guide as 24, and rear guides 26 and 21. The rear guides are set back from the plane of guide 24 so as to provide space for guideways I4 or I5. The hooked members 26 and 21 also provide a bearing on the edges of guideways I4 and I5 and in this manner, due to the relatively wide spacing of members 26 and 21, frame I6 is held in a firm rigid position, yet disposed to be slidable the length of the guldeways.

Each of the inturned ends 22 and 23 are provided with slots 28 and 38. These slots are adapted to receive the winding key 32 and the presser roller 34. It will be noted that the body portion of key 32 is enlarged to provide suflicient material for slot and the two ends are of smaller diameter so that they may be slipped through slots 28 and 30 before frame I6 is placed on guideways I4 and I5. In a like manner the presser roller 34 is provided with an enlarged body diameter with reduced end portions to engage in slots" 28 and 30 and the same is put in place at the same time, normally, that the winding key is installed. To provide inward pressure at all times on roller 34 I have secured a leaf spring 37 to frame I8, as by the rivet at 38. The ends of spring 31 are notched so as to partly encircle roller 34 and in this manner provide inward pressure on the same. It will be apparent that as the amount of material wound up on key 32 increases, the roller 34 is forced back against spring 31 which with the present construction can be deflected owing to the fact that the ends of spring 31 can slide outwardly on roller EM.

The parts thus far described are all common to the various forms of my device illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Due to the fact, however, that there are many different conditions under which tubes are used it has been found desirable to provide different types of cap arrangements on the tubes and these necessitate modification of the lower anchoring means. In Figures 1, 3, 4, and 5 I have provided that there will be pivotally secured to the rigid shelf I8, a clamp member 40, disposed to swing in a horizontal plane, which is urged by spring 42 into its closed position in which notch 43 is brought to engage the neck of a collapsible tube when in position, In this form it has been found desirable to provide a notched centering means at 45 and this notch in coaction with the pivoted member 40, which in turn is provided with a knife-edged bearing on the notch portion 43, will secure in position a wide range of sizes of the ordinary screwed on cap type of collapsible tube. Disposed below shelf I8 isthe pivoted closure member 41. This member is provided with a torsion spring as 48 which tends at all times to force closure member 41 up into a horizontal position normally abutting shelf I8 except when a tube is in place at which time it engages the end of the tube'neck and thus provides a closure or cover therefor.

This has been found to be a convenient means of closing the tube after the cap has been removed in that for many types of use as for instance in dispensing toothpaste, the toothbrush as B may be employed as illustrated in Figure 3 and by merely pressing down on closure 41 with the brush and then turning key 32, a quantity of cream as indicated at C can be easily collected on the brush. When this is done the brush is merely removed and spring 48 raises closure 41 so as to close the tube opening.

In Figures '7, 8, and 9 a modified form of tube securing means is employed in which shelf I8 is provided with a downward directed extension 50. This tubular extension is provided with an opening 52 at one point so that the pivoted securing lever 54 may pass partly through member and engage a notch 56 formed in the neck of tube 51. The closure member as 41 might be employed although I have in this instance shown a horizontally pivoted closure member 59 which is pivoted at 60 and swings in the plane of shelf I8 so that a cutting, shearing, or wiping action is applied by the closure member.

In Figures 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14, I have illustrated a further modification of the tube dispensing neck and the closure for the same. In this instance tube 62 is provided with either a threaded or notched end and has two lugs as 64 and 65 that assure accurate positioning of the tube so that the graduation 61, formed on the tube to indicate quantities of material, will always be properly positioned for easy and accurate reading. This form of tube requires a slight modification of shelf I8 in that in addition to the round opening 68 extensions of this opening as 89 and I0 are required so as to position lugs 64 and 65. These lugs normally are off center, as far as opening 68 is concerned, so that tube 62 can Only be placed in this opening in shelf I8 in one position so that the graduations 61 will always face outwardly.

The closure member illustrated with this form is in effect a rotary valve which is either secured to the threaded portion of the tube or secured to a threaded downward extension 12 of shelf I8. The closure is provided with a body portion I4 and the rotating plug I6. This plug is held in place by screw TI and is turned by means of the knurled portion 19. It will be apparent, it is believed, that the tube is in its dispensing position when the through opening 80 is in alignment with the axis of the tube neck and when this member is turned so as to place this opening out of alignment the tube is sealed against any accidental disbursement or against hardening of the contained paste due to contact with the air.

In Figure 1'? the construction is slightly modified in that the closure member while remaining the same is threaded to the downwardly extending member I2 of bracket I8 anda tube similar to the one shown in Figures 7, 8, and 9, is seated in the opening 82 of shelf I8 and locked in that position by means of the pivoted lever 84. This may be knife-edged as is illustrated for the swinging lever 48 at 43 or it may engage in an annular groove formed in the tube neck as shown at 86.

Method of operation My present device contemplates the eventual more general use of collapsible tubes which need not necessarily be made of metal, but of various materials, such as Cellophane or other synthetic products to' more readily adapt the collapsible tube to the dispensing of shortening and other materials, particularly food products; and, to take full advantage of such possibilities, I prefer that the tube 62 be graduated as is illustrated at 61 in particularly Figures 3 and 11 so that definite amounts, as tablespoonfuls, or portions of cupfuls,

or ounces, may be accurately dispensed by turning key 32 until the proper graduation is in alignment with bar 20 and roller. It will be noted, particularly in Figure 4, that by sighting over bar 20 and presser roller 34, accurate reading may be obtained.

The foregoing description and the accompanying drawings are believed to clearly disclose a preferred embodiment of my invention but it will be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative and that such changes in the invention may be made as are fairly within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

' I claim:

1. The combination with anupright support and means thereon for supporting and winding the body of a collapsible tube, of a notched-shelf rigid with the support and forming a rigid jaw for the nozzle of the tube, a jaw pivoted on the upper face of the shelf and having a recess coacting with the notched-shelf to clamp the nozzle, a spring mounted on the upper face of the rigid jaw, an off-set lug on the pivoted jaw engaged by the free end of the spring to provide'a snap action to the jaw in swinging to and from closed end of a collapsible tube, and means for closing the nozzle of the tube, of a roller frame having 'rearwardly extending slotted side arms, guide means at the end of each arm for co-action with said guide flanges, a pair of clamping rollers journaled in the slotted side arms, one of which rollers forms an anchorage for the collapsible end of the tube, means for rotating the other roller, and resilient means mounted in the frame for urging the operating roller in frictional contact with the tube.

3. In a dispensing device, the combination with a support having off-set lateral guide flanges, means mounted on the support for retaining the nozzle end of a collapsible tube, automatic means for closing the nozzle of the tube, of a slidable roller-frame having rearwardly extending slotted arms, said arms having guide lugs engaging the flanges, a. pair of clamping rollers journaled in the slotted arms, one of said rollers having a longitudinal slot to receive the collapsible end of the tube, a bow-spring mounted within the front of the frame with its ends engaging the other roller to cause frictional engagement of the last mentioned roller with the collapsible tube, and means for turning the slotted roller.

JOSEPH H. BLAKE. 

